Ironman Arizona : Official Thread (Page 5)

Go to www.vrbo.com and rent a house in the area. There are LOTS of vacation rentals available in the area and in Phoenix. You're likely to pay less, especially considering how long you plan to be there, and you'll ahve all the amenities that you're looking for, and probably more.  That's what I've done when I did IMAZ in '09 and '11.

And then you can be the offical BT IMAZ host house!! 

YESSS!!!!!

I reserved a house, through vrbo, back in September & most of the houses/condos had already been reserved for this year. I just did a quick search of those houses/condos that are closest to Tempe Town Lake and some of the houses/condos that are already booked for Ironman week are still showing up as available. I was looking for houses that had at least 3 bedrooms. Maybe there are still some smaller places available. Hopefully you'll find something through vrbo. Also be aware that the vrbo rentals double & triple in price for Ironman week. I

I suggest staying somewhere South of the event. Last year, when I volunteered, I stayed at a hotel North of the event. Trying to get back to the hotel in the late afternoon/evening was a pain!

Name: Colin 

What is your Ironman resume? IM Canada 2010 and 2012, IM Los Cabos 2013, IM CdA 2013 (hopefully)

Why did you choose Ironman Arizona?  Worked perfectly with my schedule

What are you goals for IMAZ 2013?  Finish first and foremost. Also would like a 6:15 bike or less.

What are you most looking forward to? Mexican food! Can't get any decent stuff in Canada. 

What plans are y'all doing?

I'm doing the Fink plan. The 23rd is not far away. I plan on doing the swim & run workouts of the intermediate plan and the bike workouts of the competitive plan.

Are you starting your training on the 23rd?  I am going to start on the 29th right after coming home from vacation.  As for plans, I work with a coach as I stress out too much planning my schedule.

Well, we're 7 months to the day from IMAZ 2013!  A lot of training and suffering to put in during that timeframe...

Big triathlon weekend last week here in Tempe.  National Collegiate Championships on Friday and Saturday with Lifetime Tri Marquee and Leadman on Sunday.  I went down to the finish line in Tempe Beach Park on Sunday and watched some of the folks finish up their Sprints, Olympics, and Leadman's.  It was very hot (85-90 degrees w/ intense sun) and all I could think about was how we will most likely be completing IMAZ in similar conditions.

Good luck to everyone as I'm sure most folks IMAZ training plans start pretty soon.  

Name: Mike

What is your Ironman resume? Silverman 70.3 '10 (first ever tri), IMSG '11 (2nd ever tri), IMCDA '12, IM 70.3 St. George 2 days ago!

Why did you choose Ironman Arizona? I wanted an easier course

What are you goals for IMAZ 2013?  12-13 hours

What are you most looking forward to? Flat ride and run. Of course the finish is always amazing!

Veterans, any advice you can give? Be consistent with training, do your training plan, trust your training plan, be your training plan. Now the course. Break things down to smaller distances, don't think of it as 112 bike and 26.2 mile run. Remember I am not fast (See goals for IMAZ) but I always finish smiling!

IM AZ will not be anything like Leadman weather-wise.  The water will be low to mid 60's (Leadman was 70s), and the air temp will be mid 60s as well.  If you train in AZ through the summer for the race, race day will be a big bonus, and you will enjoy the Beeline ride much more than the training rides up and down it when the temps are hitting triple digits.

Simply put - the weather in Tempe at IM AZ should be moderate - a bit windy on the bike, but heat should not be a factor.

Guess I'm comparing it to IMAZ 2012.  It was mid-to-low 80's at last years race but it felt warmer...

Egads!  Coming up on six months here pretty soon.

Unfortunately my training has been more miss than hit.  We had our house on the market for 45 days, first offer was a good one, found a house, put in the first offer, they barely countered and now we are in the inspection phase soon to be followed by the appraisal phase, packing, moving etc.  The bad news is my training hasn't really started yet.  The good news is all this is happening now rather than any other time between now and November 17!  Gotta look at the bright side.

Spent the winter more run focussed and my last two bike rides reflect that fact, not pretty.  

Got myself a used compu-trainer for a great deal from a tri friend and took her for a spin the first time tonight.  Having a gaggle of kids, homeschooling, working and not living in great cycling conditions means a lot of my training will be indoors.  The computrainer is much better than the basic trainer, the numbers keep me motivated and honest.  The new house will have a dedicated training room rather than spinning in the garage which will come in handy now-next 6 months here in Houston.